Napster is Back!

[markie]

Originally posted by vansmack:
 

Originally posted by I am Markie. Annoy Mattie:
 [qb]  I'm sorry [/b]

That makes much more sense......
 
 Competition in this sector could drive down prices..... although apple claimed that their studies showed price was not a mojor determinant in downloading a few songs.
 
 So it comes down to who you trust more. Personally I have more negative connotations with napster than apple.

[vansmack]

Originally posted by I am Markie. Annoy Mattie:
  So it comes down to who you trust more. Personally I have more negative connotations with napster than apple.

I hold a tremendous amount of respect for both Steve Jobs and Shawn Fanning.  I feel I owe Napster a lot for (a) breaking the ground of mass mp3 downloading [and for taking the fall] and (b) for all the songs I took when they were in their infancy. I feel I owe Apple a lot for bringing the PC up to where it is now.  It really comes down to file type for me.
 
 One other thing I just thought of.  With this lease thing (and being freindly with your network admin), you could take the entire music collection with you to work via the streaming feature.  Now that would be the shit!

[Jaguär]

Smackie, I can't burn WMA files either but I can usually convert them to MP3 and then burn them. Have you tried that? Or are they somehow unable to convert? I've run across a few of those.

[vansmack]

Originally posted by Jaguär:
  Smackie, I can't burn WMA files either but I can usually convert them to MP3 and then burn them. Have you tried that? Or are they somehow unable to convert? I've run across a few of those.

I have no problem burning most WMA files.  I haven't been able to burn the ones that I download from Napster with my subscription without individually purchasing the files (See above for the difference).
 
 I'm working on a couple of different ways to encode the files in either WAV or MP3, but I must say for now, that the lock Napster puts on the files is pretty good.

[kosmo vinyl]

anyone heard anything on this site?  very little info on their website...
 
 http://www.audiolunchbox.com/

[vansmack]

Originally posted by kosmo vinyl:
  anyone heard anything on this site?  very little info on their website...
 
  http://www.audiolunchbox.com/

My friend from Epitaph sent me this today when I asked him about Epitaph artists and Napster:
 
 Audio Lunchbox
 
 AUDIO LUNCHBOX.COM SET TO LAUNCH HALLOWEEN WITH SONGS FROM OVER 35 INDEPENDENT LABELS
 
 ALB WILL DELIVER INDIE LABEL TRACKS FOR .99 WITH UNLIMITED BURNS
 
 "Audio Lunchbox is the premier online destination for downloading the hottest independent music and getting the latest scoop on upcoming and established artists," says Morgan Harris, Audio Lunchbox co-founder. "Our goal is to offer the most complete library of independently distributed digital files in one destination."
 
 Audio Lunchbox, the latest and arguably the most user-friendly digital music store on the Internet, is set for an October 31st launch. ALB will debut with over 40,000 songs from independent record labels in multiple formats for both the PC and Mac platform.
 
 ALB has already secured licensed songs from over 35 independent record labels. Among them, are Epitaph, Artemis, Vagrant, Trustkill, Razor & Tie, Digital Rights Agency and all artists on CDBaby.com. Another 40 labels are expected to follow suit within the next ninety days.
 
 In addition to offering only indie tracks, ALB will boast other selling points setting themselves apart from the competition. First, unlike the majority of download sites, ALB's music is free of DRM (Digital Rights Management), which restricts how many times the user can burn a song or transfer it to another computer. No DRM means that once a user purchases an album or track, they can burn or transfer the files an unlimited number of times. Also, ALB offers three file formats -- MP3s, AACs (format that Apple's iTunes is offering but without the DRM) and Oggs (Vorbis). Oggs are super-high quality audio.
 
 And the best news for the recording industry is ALB is giving users an incentive to buy downloads as opposed to stealing them. Competitive pricing starting with single track downloads at .99 and full-length downloads at $9.99 with Downloadable sleeve art, tracklistings and lyrics available in the near future with most full-length purchases.
 
 "Our goal is to make the purchase of digital music easy and fun," Harris continues. "We don't believe that our users should have restrictions placed on them once they pay to download a song or album. When they download from our site, they can do whatever they want, as long as it's for personal use. Unlimited transfers. Unlimited burns."
 
 ALB is not merely a music download site, but is a lifestyle site as well. Content will also include feature articles on the hottest independent artists, the coolest digital music gear and the newest viral players featuring independent artists. Also, ALB's search engine is "smart". It will recommend other artists to you based upon who you search for.
 
 ALB may very well be a pioneer site that is simultaneously, both buyer and artist friendly, introducing great indie distributed music to the public that they may not otherwise have the opportunity to find on line.
 
 "We're committed to increasing the exposure and availability of independent music to the masses," Harris promises. "We're passionate about what we do and will not rest until our vision is achieved."

[kosmo vinyl]

looks like it's going to be iTunes for indepentdent labels using the same pricing model .99 for a single track and 9.99 for the entire record.  the key is there no digital rights management (DRM)...  damn steve jobs and his pricing structure   :mad:   it's ruining it for those of us wanting to legally download entire albums without having to pay a hefty price tag.   9.99 is BS for an entire record which can be bought used for less and the files provided are compressed versions of the orginial...
 
 Audio Lunchbox
                                               
                                               AUDIO LUNCHBOX.COM SET TO LAUNCH HALLOWEEN WITH SONGS FROM OVER 35 INDEPENDENT LABELS
 
  ALB WILL DELIVER INDIE LABEL TRACKS FOR .99 WITH UNLIMITED BURNS
 
  "Audio Lunchbox is the premier online destination for downloading the hottest independent music and getting the latest scoop on upcoming and established artists," says Morgan Harris, Audio Lunchbox co-founder. "Our goal is to offer the most complete library of independently distributed digital files in one destination."
 
  Audio Lunchbox, the latest and arguably the most user-friendly digital music store on the Internet, is set for an October 31st launch. ALB will debut with over 40,000 songs from independent record labels in multiple formats for both the PC and Mac platform.
 
  ALB has already secured licensed songs from over 35 independent record labels. Among them, are Epitaph, Artemis, Vagrant, Trustkill, Razor & Tie, Digital Rights Agency and all artists on CDBaby.com. Another 40 labels are expected to follow suit within the next ninety days.
 
  In addition to offering only indie tracks, ALB will boast other selling points setting themselves apart from the competition. First, unlike the majority of download sites, ALB's music is free of DRM (Digital Rights Management), which restricts how many times the user can burn a song or transfer it to another computer. No DRM means that once a user purchases an album or track, they can burn or transfer the files an unlimited number of times.  Also, ALB offers three file formats -- MP3s, AACs (format that Apple's iTunes is offering but without the DRM) and Oggs (Vorbis). Oggs are super-high quality audio.
 
  And the best news for the recording industry is ALB is giving users an incentive to buy downloads as opposed to stealing them. Competitive pricing starting with single track downloads at .99 and full-length downloads at $9.99 with Downloadable sleeve art, tracklistings and lyrics available in the near future with most full-length purchases.
 
  "Our goal is to make the purchase of digital music easy and fun," Harris continues. "We don't believe that our users should have restrictions placed on them once they pay to download a song or album. When they download from our site, they can do whatever they want, as long as it's for personal use. Unlimited transfers. Unlimited burns."
 
  ALB is not merely a music download site, but is a lifestyle site as well. Content will also include feature articles on the hottest independent artists, the coolest digital music gear and the newest viral players featuring independent artists. Also, ALB's search engine is "smart". It will recommend other artists to you based upon who you search for.
 
  ALB may very well be a pioneer site that is simultaneously, both buyer and artist friendly, introducing great indie distributed music to the public that they may not otherwise have the opportunity to find on line.
 
  "We're committed to increasing the exposure and availability of independent music to the masses," Harris promises. "We're passionate about what we do and will not rest until our vision is achieved."

[kosmo vinyl]

great minds post alike...

[vansmack]

Originally posted by kosmo vinyl:
  damn steve jobs and his pricing structure    :mad:    it's ruining it for those of us wanting to legally download entire albums without having to pay a hefty price tag.   9.99 is BS for an entire record which can be bought used for less and the files provided are compressed versions of the orginial...
 

You're right on the money.  But let's see what competition does...
 
 I'm liking the Napster structure ($9.95 a month for unlimited digital downloading and listening, but no burning), then buying the ones I really like in used bins months later.  For example Phaser and The Coral, darlings of hipsters months ago, are now $2.95 and $5.95 respectively, at Amoeba.

[ratioci nation]

emusic is so great they sent me an email saying I downloaded too much, what a bunch of geniuses

[markie]

ermmmm
 
 oooops
 
 back to itunes, apple said it doesnt see distributing music as a way of making money. imusic is running at only a modest profit. So either the labels are making tons of cash(but I dont see labels doing well right now) or $10 for an album is a reasonable price afterall.

[kosmo vinyl]

Originally posted by pollard:
  emusic is so great they sent me an email saying I downloaded too much, what a bunch of geniuses

welcome to the 2k club... or did you get terminated  

[ratioci nation]

Originally posted by kosmo vinyl:
  welcome to the 2k club... or did you get terminated      

so i assume you have seen this before?  I did not get terminated

[kosmo vinyl]

yeah... i just got my first.  it was a badge of honor on the old emusic board.  having followed the emusic refugees  site is happening to almost everyone.   people don't seem to be getting terminated until they download really excessively 5k to 7k appears to be when some are getting the boot.  it's all very arbitary

[vansmack]

The competition among music retailers has begun:
 
 Tower Records has an online sale for $9.99 a CD plus free shipping over $20.
 
 Titles include:
 
 The Postal Service, The Strokes, Death Cab, Thursday, Ima robot, Hot Hot Heat, Wilco, The Stills, The Shins, The Rapture, Kings of Leon, Travis
 
 Any coincidence between the price and the price of a CD on iTunes or Napster?